


where laughter never ends

by LiveLaughLovex



Series: love brings you home [2]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: AU: Alternate Season 8, AU: Post Season 7, Developing Relationship, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-22
Updated: 2018-09-22
Packaged: 2019-07-15 06:36:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16057553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiveLaughLovex/pseuds/LiveLaughLovex
Summary: "Home is where love resides, memories are created, friends always belong, and laughter never ends." - UnknownOn a warm day in May, Detective Kono Kalakaua is reminded once again that she is back to being exactly where she belongs.





	where laughter never ends

**Author's Note:**

> This ignores the radiation storyline from seasons seven and eight of the show. I forgot to put that at the beginning of the last work, so I apologize. Please excuse any errors; I've done a fair amount of research into airdates and such in an attempt to get the kids' ages right, but I may be just slightly off the mark with some things. Also, please excuse any spelling errors and such. I apologize for them all. 
> 
> As usual, I do not own this show, because, if I did, there would be a lot more of Grace and Daniel onscreen. And, you know, Grace and Daniel would still be onscreen. (No, I'm not over them leaving, thanks for asking.) I hope you enjoy.

It was already eighty-two degrees outside when Detective Kono Kalakaua pulled into Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett’s driveway at eleven-oh-three in the morning. She breathed a sigh of relief as she turned the key in the ignition, silencing the engine. It felt oh-so-nice to have escaped all those shopping centers alive. As she sat in the car for a moment more, acknowledging and appreciating the silence surrounding her, she once again made a mental vow to never, ever venture into a supercenter on a Saturday morning in May.

She’d not exactly planned on her early-morning excursion. In fact, it was Steve’s fault that it had happened to begin with. The lieutenant commander had been insistent that he would prepare lunch for everyone as a sort of celebration for finally wrapping up the Abbott case and placing Jameson Lee behind bars for fifty to life. The one very important thing the task force leader had failed to acknowledge before sending out that late-night text the previous evening was that many of the guests he’d invited to the celebration were under the age of eighteen, and, apparently unbeknownst to him, had severely different dietary requirements than their adult counterparts.

Kono knew that there were some things they didn’t have to do every time they got together. They were more of a family than a team now; they no longer had to impress each other. However, she’d decided the night before that she’d be damned if the Williams kids didn’t get their beloved s’mores because of their honorary uncle’s knack for springing things on people. It was for that exact reason that she’d been up at six o’clock to hit every grocery store in the area for the needed ingredients. And man, after the day she’d had gathering them, those kids were extremely lucky she loved them.

She still didn’t understand what a majority of the stores in the area had against ordering the snack-sized versions of the Hershey’s cookies-and-cream candy bars. Sure, most people didn’t make s’mores with them, but, then again, most people weren’t seven-year-old little boys being raised by Detective Danny Williams. Charlie preferred those specific bars, and Kono always went out of her way to make sure they were provided for the boy (both because she was an amazing honorary aunt and because the kid grew viciously pouty without his daily prescribed chocolate intake). She just thanked God that the manager in charge of a story owned by one cousin or another of hers didn’t find it weird, because otherwise, the kid would’ve been out of luck.

“You okay there?” Steve asked laughingly as he made his way from his home, walking quickly in her direction to take some of the bags dangerously close to slipping from her fingers off her hands. “Because you look like you’re weighed down by chocolate, Kalakaua. How many of these did you buy?” he asked in amazement, surveying the bags he held and finding that, as he’d suspected, most of them held nothing more than packages of bite-sized Hershey’s.

“Ten packages, I think? I don’t really know; I lost count. I’m guessing it was an abnormal amount, though, because I don’t think I’ve ever seen a cashier look quite so horrified.” Kono closed the front door behind her and followed him into the kitchen. “Am I really the only one here?” she asked as she glanced around the room. Sure, the food wasn’t meant to be ready for several hours, but she’d figured at least Danny and the kids would’ve been there early.

“Yup,” Steve informed her, placing the bags on the counter and beginning to sort through their contents. He chuckled quietly as he took in the chocolate once again. “Well, you’re definitely going to be a fan favorite with the kids.”

“All part of my master plan,” Kono fired back easily, helping him to sort through the things she’d brought with her. “I’m not even sure this is going to last us the night.”

“If it doesn’t, we’re going to be rushing every kid that’s coming to this thing to the hospital in the morning to be brought out of a diabetic coma,” Steve informed her, his tone full of false seriousness. “I don’t even want to think about the calories we’re going to end up putting into them by the time this thing’s over.”

Kono waved away his concerns. “Eh, they’re kids. They’ve got a few good years left before their metabolisms deteriorate and they actually have to start worrying about things like caloric intake.”

“Says the girl who still doesn’t have to worry about hers,” Steve smirked, glancing in her direction with eyes full of fondness.

“Surfing burns a hell of a lot of calories,” she returned, removing the final items from the nearest grocery sack. She added the empty bag to the pile that’d already accumulated on the counter, then organized the groceries neatly next to it. “I brought chocolate, graham crackers, every sour gummy candy known to man, and, because I didn’t want to hear a lecture from Danny about my eating habits yet again, celery and carrots, just to reduce the very real chances of everyone at this party developing premature diabetes. Where do you want me to put it all?”

Steve smirked at her final comment. “It should be fine here,” he assured her, grabbing the vegetables and sticking them in the refrigerator. “Everything else should keep. The air’s on, so nothing’s going to melt.” He glanced in her direction. “Danny and the kids aren’t going to be here until noon. Something about a hair crisis.” He rolled his eyes at that, causing Kono to chuckle. “I don’t know if it was Gracie’s or Danny’s; he refused to specify. But it’s going to be a while, so if you wanted to go surf, you can.”

“Commander McGarrett, are you giving me permission to use your precious beach?” Kono questioned dramatically, one hand pressed to her chest. She smiled when Steve shook his head amusedly at her antics, then dropped the Southern Belle act. “I’m going to take you up on the offer. Thanks, Boss,” she said genuinely.

“Of course,” Steve replied with an easy smile, his eyes following her as she headed for the door and walked out to the beach.

Kono ran a hand through her hair as her flipflops hit the sand, shaking her head and rolling her eyes at herself. Perhaps Steve was right to send her out into the water. Perhaps, if she spent enough time in the water, she’d be able to forget how easy it’d been to move seamlessly throughout his kitchen, how right it’d felt to be in that place – his place – with him. The chances of saltwater doing what some lobotomies couldn’t weren’t high, but, hey, a girl had to be able to hope, now didn’t she?

-o-o-o-o-

There were tiny grains of sediment all over her when Kono finally emerged from the water one hour later. It was an extremely irritating feeling to be enduring on such a lovely day. Which reminded her…

“I think I might legitimately hate sand now,” she groaned despairingly, kicking aside her flipflops before plopping down onto a beach towel laid out for her by Grace moments before. “I think Nevada might’ve actually ruined sand for me. Do you have any idea how much of Nevada is covered in sand?”

Steve glanced away from the burgers he was grilling to smirk in her general direction. “Not personally, but I’ve always figured there’s probably a good reason they, you know, call it a desert,” he pointed out logically, carefully transferring several of the burgers from the grill to a plate. “And there’s no way you’re ever going to hate sand. You hate sand, you hate the beach, and you, Kono Kalakaua, you’re just never going to be able to hate the beach. You don’t have it in you.”

“You also thought I’d never hate fried food,” Kono reminded him, tilting her head back slightly so she could gaze up at him as he worked. “Hell, I never thought I’d hate fried food.” She shook her head and shuddered slightly. “Why did no one talk me out of that second funnel cake at the State Fair?”

“Why was there ever a second funnel cake at the State Fair?” Detective Danny Williams asked incredulously as he made his way towards them, an enthusiastic Charlie running in front of him. After ensuring his son was safely under the supervision of Captain Lou Grover and his wife, both of whom had arrived approximately ten minutes before, Danny redirected his attention towards the native Hawaiian. “Why was there even a first funnel cake?”

“That kind of comment could only ever be made by a man never given an opportunity to properly enjoy funnel cake,” Kono informed him seriously. “And it wasn’t the funnel cake’s fault. I just suck at portion control when surrounded by fried food, that’s all.” She shrugged when Danny shot her another dubious look. “And also chocolate. And pizza. But my doctor says my cholesterol’s fine, so nobody’s got anything to worry about.”

“And there are people in this world that don’t believe in miracles,” Danny muttered under his breath, causing his partner to laugh and his friend to shoot him a fierce glare. “My kid freaked out about the contents of Steve’s kitchen,” he said after a moment. “I’m assuming I have you to think for the sugar high he’s most definitely going to get tonight.”

“Come on, man, who else would buy that many bite-sized Hershey’s?” Steve said from above her, earning a rather angry look of his own from the former professional surfer.

“You two are both very lucky I decided not to bring my gun around the kids,” she informed them quietly, lighting up at the sight of the youngest member of the Williams family as he hurried in her direction for an embrace. “Hey, Charlie!” she greeted enthusiastically once he’d pulled away. “How are you? Are you excited for today?”

The boy practically beamed as he nodded eagerly in response to the question. “Daddy says I get to have at least two s’mores tonight,” he informed her quietly, as if worried his father would go back on his word if reminded of the promise. While Kono knew Danny wouldn’t do that, she could still understand the boy’s reasoning. He was seven, and candy was involved. What kid wouldn’t protect such a privilege at all costs?

“That’s awesome,” she responded genuinely, accepting that it was impossible not to share in the small child’s excitement. She shook her head amusedly when the boy simply nodded eagerly in response and then dashed back in the direction from which he’d come. “Where’s your other kid?” she asked the blond detective after a few moments, glancing around the yard to make sure she’d not missed Grace in her quick sweep of the area. “Wasn’t she just here?”

“Ah, yes, she was,” Danny sighed, sinking onto the ground beside her with a long-suffering exhale. “She and Will are over there now,” he said, gesturing down the beach. “Grover’s got an eye on them for me.”

“I don’t think having an eye on them at a family gathering of this size is exactly necessary, Danny,” Kono informed him, rolling her eyes when both the detective and the lieutenant commander listening in on the conversation shot her incredulous looks. “What do you think they’d be able to get away with? They are surrounded by adults and impressionable children. They’re not going to do anything out here.”

“You say that like you were never seventeen,” Danny informed her. Steve nodded in agreement with the other man’s observation.

“Oh, believe me, I was most definitely seventeen at one point,” Kono told them both, a slight smirk on her lips. She ignored the uncomfortable glance the men shared when met with that particular revelation – she didn’t care if they consistently saw her as someone they needed to protect – albeit in extremely different ways – some things were just a fact of life. “But when I tried to get into the kind of trouble you’re worried about her getting into, it was never on a beach around my family and other people I’d known my entire life, believe me. I think you’re fine. Especially since we both know Grover will jump to Grace’s defense before he’ll jump to Will’s if anything goes down.”

“You’re damn right,” Grover said as he made his way over, catching only the end of Kono’s brief rant towards the men. “What are we talking about?”

Kono stifled her laughter at the perplexed expression on Danny’s face. “Whoa, whoa, whoa,” he began, not responding in any way to the Chicago native’s question, “Who’s got eyes on our kids right now?”

“Renee,” Grover responded promptly. “And trust me, that boy is much more afraid of his mother than he is of me. And for good reason, too.”

Kono decided not to ask about Will’s ‘good reasons’ for wanting to tiptoe around his mother; she’d been more afraid of being caught in a compromising position by Nani than by Ke’ano when she was his age, too, so she was certain she already knew the gist of them. There was something about the disappointed looks only mothers could pull out that just made the situation always seem worse than it was. “See? Everything’s fine,” she reassured Danny. “Steve, do you need any help?”

“Do you want to get out of this conversation about the intentions Lou’s son has with Danny’s daughter?” Steve asked teasingly, flipping the burgers so that the other side was resting against the grill.

“God, yes.”

Steve chuckled. “We need plates,” he informed her. “They’re in the – “

“Top shelf of the second cabinet,” Kono finished. “This isn’t my first rodeo, Boss.”

Steve smiled at the reminder. “Right. Sorry.”

She simply returned his smile, then headed back to the house. Just as she’d finished collecting the requested plates and cutlery, she heard the front door slam loudly. As she reached for the gun held in her holster and realized neither item was presently on her body, she developed a newfound distaste for bikinis.

Fortunately for her, it wasn’t a psychopath coming to ask for her last words. Kono exhaled an audible sigh of relief as Mary Ann McGarrett followed her overexcited six-year-old into her brother’s home. At the sight of the familiar detective standing in her uncle’s kitchen, the little girl let out a happy squeal and launched herself into Kono’s arms, barely giving the detective enough time to catch her before wrapping her arms tightly around the brunette woman’s neck.

“Miss Kono!” Joan McGarrett was a tiny little person, but she had an impressively tight grip. Though it took Kono several seconds to adjust her hold on the six-year-old to prevent her from falling from her arms, the child didn’t even seem worried about the possibility. She didn’t need to be. Her fingernails were practically making bloody crescents in Kono’s skin. Her chances of being dropped were slim to none.

“Hey, Joanie,” Kono greeted, hefting the little girl higher into her arms and then shifting her so that she rested comfortably against her hip. “Hey, Mary Ann,” she added to Steve’s sister after a moment. The blonde lifted a hand in greeting and offered an apologetic smile for her daughter’s antics. “Did your brother know you were coming out? I didn’t hear him say anything about it at work this week.”

“Oh, he doesn’t know,” Mary Ann rushed to assure her, her tone conveying the honesty of her statement rather clearly. “It wasn’t exactly a planned thing. There’s some bug going around at Joanie’s school, so they are fumigating or whatever for the next few days. I figured I’d take the time from work, bring the little princess there to see her favorite uncle.” She glanced appraisingly around the room, then shot Kono a sheepish look. “Am I interrupting something?”

“No, no,” Kono rushed to assure her. “We just closed a case yesterday, so everyone’s over for the day, that’s all.” She placed Joan back on the ground when the little girl wriggled to be put down, then watched with Mary Ann as the smallest of the McGarrett clan dashed through the door to be greeted by her uncles – both adoptive and honorary. “Come on out,” she encouraged, picking up the plates and utensils from the counter and heading in the same direction Mary Ann’s daughter had gone. “Everyone will be thrilled to see you.”

Mary Ann chuckled wryly as she followed her into the yard. “You mean they’ll be thrilled to see my kid?”

“Hey, your brother will be happy to see you, too,” Kono assured her. “ _I’m_ happy to see you. It’s been too long since you’ve been around.”

“Yeah,” Mary Ann said with a sad smile. “You, too.” Her words made Kono pause. “My brother told me what you were doing in Nevada,” she informed the native Hawaiian after a moment. “As the mother of a little girl I’d do anything to keep safe, thank you for that.”

Kono shifted uncomfortably. “Yeah, well,” she shrugged, “I just did what I had to do.”

“Why do you and my brother always do that?” Mary Ann asked with a long-suffering sigh. “You didn’t just do what you had to do; you did what was right. So, thank you. Thank you for doing what was right.”

Kono smiled slightly, still vaguely uncomfortable. She knew enough about the McGarrett children to know Mary Ann wasn’t going to stop thanking her until she accepted the gratitude, so she simply said, “You’re welcome,” and then began walking back to the beach. “McGarrett, I found your sister!” she called before they reached the group, pulling the naval officer away from talking with his niece.

Steve glanced up to meet her eyes, then turned to look at his sister. He practically beamed as he hugged the small blonde woman. “Good to see you, Mare.”

“Good to see you, too,” Mary Ann returned as she pulled away from the hug. She glanced around the yard in search of her daughter, visibly relaxing when she saw her participating in an animated conversation with Grace, Charlie, and Will several yards away. “Hi, Danny!” she called after a moment, lifting a hand in greeting when she caught sight of her brother’s partner sitting at the picnic table.

“Hey,” Danny returned, standing from his seat to hug the woman. The embrace didn’t last long – it was long enough to make Steve clear his throat, but Kono still didn’t consider that very long – and, when it ended, everyone’s focus was on Charlie and Joan, who, whilst still under the watchful eyes of both Grover and his wife, had somehow managed to get away from the older children and were currently chasing each other up and down the beach.

Steve’s eyes followed Danny’s, and he drew in a deep breath as Charlie literally pulled on one of Joan’s blonde pigtails. “Do I need to have a conversation with your son about his intentions?” the naval officer asked after a moment, and while Kono would’ve found such a comment adorable from anyone else, the look on the lieutenant commander’s face suggested he just might be serious.

Danny scoffed at his friend’s question. “What are you talking about, do you need to talk with him about – they’re six and seven!” the blond detective reminded his partner incredulously. “No, you do not need to talk with him about his intentions. You want to know what they are? I can tell you right now. He intends to eat enough candy tonight to exist on some sort of permanent sugar high for the rest of his life. Those are his intentions.”

Kono stifled her laughter at Steve’s words. “He’s right, Boss,” she said after a moment. “You’ve got at least three good years before there’s anything to worry about between those two.”

“Well, thank you, Kono, I’m so glad to know my niece won’t start dating until she’s at least nine.” Despite his words, there was an obvious smirk on the lieutenant commander’s face. “How old were you?”

“How old was I when what? When I went on my first date?” At the naval officer’s nod, Kono offered a wry smile. “I was fourteen.”

“And?” Danny asked when she failed to provide further information.

“And it was awful,” she admitted laughingly after a moment. “My father and my brothers followed us everywhere we went, and when the poor boy finally dropped me back at home, my parents put the fear of the entire HPD – and possibly the fear of God – into him. I didn’t go on another date for at least a year after that. Hell, I don’t think I even met a boy’s eyes if I had a crush on him.”

“That sounds like a good idea. I’m doing that,” Steve said definitively, causing his sister to exasperatedly roll her eyes.

“You really didn’t get the moral of that story, huh, Boss?” Kono asked teasingly, patting him comfortingly on the shoulder and then returning to her towel in the grass. “I wouldn’t worry about it too much. Like I said, you’ve still got several good years left.”

Mary Ann shook her head incredulously at her brother. “And at the end of those few good years, I’m going to be the one interrogating the boys that come around, big brother, not you.”

“Mare,” Steve protested.

“I’m not kidding, Steve,” Mary Ann interrupted after a moment. “Have daughters of your own if you really want to interrogate teenaged boys so bad.” She shook her head exasperatedly. “I am so glad Aunt Deb didn’t tell you about my first date!” she called over her shoulder as she was beckoned to the waterfront by her daughter.

“I’m not!” Steve called back, shaking his head when he glanced down at Kono and saw her smirking up at him. “Are you on her side?” he asked as he removed the last of the burgers from the grill and placed them on a plate. After he’d announced to their gathered group that lunch was finally ready, he met her eyes once again.

“There are no sides,” Kono laughed, shaking her head and accepting the paper plate he extended in her direction. She stood from her spot to finish fixing her meal. “I’m a cop, so I can see your side. I’m a woman; I can see hers. But who knows what’ll be going on when Joanie starts dating? There will probably be robot companions by then, and Joan, realizing how strange – and not in a good way – some men are, could very well decide to buy a dozen cats and live far away from the opposite sex for the rest of her days.”

“Is it awful that there’s a part of me hoping for that?” he murmured as she added carrot sticks to her plate – mostly to keep Danny from lecturing her about the importance of a balanced diet – and then some chips.

“Probably,” Kono replied seriously, though her eyes glinted mischievously as she did. “But it makes you a good uncle, so I won’t tease you too much.”

“Thank you,” Steve said gratefully, fixing his own plate and then settling onto the grass next to her. “So,” he began after a moment, causing her to glance in his direction. “That thing with the interrogation tactics. Your dad still use that on the boys you bring home?”

Kono smiled wryly. “I haven’t brought a boy home for him to meet in a very long time,” she admitted softly. “But he used it on Adam.” She smirked despite herself. “He cleaned a gun in front of Adam.” She shook her head at the expression on Steve’s face. “Please do not tell me I just gave you an idea. Please tell me you are not going to clean a gun in front of the first boy your niece brings home,” she practically begged, although she too could see the humor in the situation.

“A gun? No. A machete? Sure, there’s a possibility,” Steve responded innocently, smiling widely when Kono shot him an unimpressed look. “What? It’ll be good for him. Help build some character.”

“Oh, yes, I’m sure having a heart attack the moment he meets his girlfriend’s family will build plenty of character,” Kono laughed, shaking her head. “My father shared that mindset until I was married. Adam and I were damn near engaged by the time I finally got brave enough to bring him around the family.”

“Yeah?” Steve asked interestedly, taking a bite of his burger. “Why is that?”

“They didn’t exactly approve.” She glanced over her shoulder and then stood with a smile. “Which you should know, considering you’re friends with this one. What took you so long?” she called to her cousin and Abby as they approached, both girls in tow.

“We had a hair emergency,” Chin called back, placing Olina on the ground and allowing the toddler to run full-speed towards Kono. It was nothing short of a miracle that the detective managed to bend down low enough to catch the girl before she landed flat on her face there in the grass. “It took a while to resolve it.” It was obvious from the tone of her cousin’s voice that he would never understand females, not even now that he was raising two of them.

“But it’s fixed now,” Abby assured Kono, smoothing a hand down Sara’s shorter hair as the two followed Olina and Chin into the yard. She met Kono’s eyes with a wry smile, mouthing, “Bubblegum,” in response to the native Hawaiian’s raised brow.

“Well, that’s good,” Kono said, balancing Olina on her hip so that she could stoop down to Sara’s level. “Hey, sweetheart,” she greeted, giving the girl a one-armed hug. “Uncle Steve made some burgers. Do you want one?”

The little girl nodded enthusiastically. “Are there any with cheese?” she asked Steve shyly, turning slightly to look up at him.

He smiled down at her. “Are there any with cheese?” Kono couldn’t help but smile at the incredulous tone of his voice. He was so good with the kids. “Is it even right to eat a burger without it? C’mon, Sara, let’s get you your burger with cheese.”

Abby glanced around curiously as she made her way to Kono, taking her wriggling daughter from the other woman’s arms. “Where’s Campbell?”

“Family thing,” Kono informed her, smiling when Olina giggled at something going on over her mother’s shoulder. “She said she’d try to stop by if she could.”

“Ah,” Abby accepted easily. “Steve, make sure you put some vegetables on that plate, please!” she called to the lieutenant commander, who raised a hand in acknowledgment and then continued to help Sara construct her hamburger. “From what I saw in the kitchen, she’s going to need all the real, healthy food she can get before the sugar doors are opened wide this evening. Where did you even find that many little chocolates?”

“I have my ways,” Kono said vaguely.

“She started hitting grocery stores before sunrise,” Steve informed the San Franciscan bluntly as he came to stand beside Kono, waving to his goddaughter when she smiled enthusiastically at the sight of him. “Hi, Lina.”

“We really need to have a talk about you spilling my secrets,” Kono said playfully.

“Set it up; I’ll be there,” Steve promised over his shoulder as he returned to his post at the grill.

-o-o-o-o-

Neither Steve nor Abby had been wrong. Every child present at the cookout left with either a stomachache or a sugar high. Even Olina, who’d been given only one bite of a single s’more, seemed to be feeling the happiness when Chin and Abby loaded the girls into the car and headed home. Kono couldn’t bring herself to feel guilty about it, however. Considering what their parents did for a living – and what they themselves too often had to deal with – those children deserved all the entertainment and joy they could get out of life. Possibly even more.

She stayed behind to help Steve with cleanup – considering he was one of the only members of the team, other than herself and Campbell, to not have children of his own, it seemed rather unfair to leave him with the mess created by half a dozen of them – while Mary Ann put an exhaustedly protesting Joan to bed. Instead of making the blonde woman aid them after flying down from New York earlier in the day, Kono told her to turn in herself. There were some things that only required two people. This was one of them.

“Good day,” Steve said after they’d picked up the last floating device the kids had used and stacked them all on the back porch to be brought out again at future gatherings.

“Yeah,” Kono agreed without hesitation. “Everyone had a really good time. That always seems to happen when we’re all together.”

Steve nodded in response to her words, then cleared his throat and glanced away. “So,” he began after a moment, still refusing to meet her eyes, “I’ve been meaning to ask. How’re you doing, Kono?”

“At this exact moment? I’m pretty sure I’m higher on sugar than any grown adult has a right to be,” Kono responded lightly. “Why do you ask?”

Steve smiled slightly at her words, but shook his head nonetheless. “I didn’t mean right now,” he clarified. “I meant in general. With the divorce, and the moving home, and everything. How are you?”

Kono sighed. “I’m not sure yet,” she said honestly. “But as soon as I figure it out, you’ll be the first one to know.”

The smile Steve offered her in that moment was completely genuine. “Well,” he said after a few seconds. “That’s good enough for me.”

“Yeah,” Kono murmured under her breath as he walked away to do something with the chairs left on the beach. “Right now, that’s good enough for me too.”


End file.
